Corpus of Electronic Texts Edition

The Irish version of the Historia Britonum of Nennius (Author: unknown)

Historia 8

OF THE CONQUEST OF ERI, AS RECORDED BY NENNIUS.

The first man that took Eri was Parrtalon, with a thousand men, i. e. a thousand between men and women; and they multiplied in Eri, into many thousands, until they died of a plague in one week, in judgment for the murder that he committed on his father and on his mother.

Ireland; it was of them were the chief men of science; as Luchtenus, artifex; Credenus, figulus; Dianus, medicus; also Eadon, his daughter, viz. the nurse of the poets; Goibnen, faber. Lug, son of Eithne, with whom were all the arts. Dagda the Great (son of Ealadan, son of Dealbaith) the king. Ogma, brother of the king; it was from him came the letters of the Scots.

It was these men that defeated in a great battle the mariners, i. e. the Fomorians, so that they fled from them into their tower, i. e.

a very strong fortress on the sea. The men of Eri went against them to the sea, so that they fought with them until the sea closed upon them all, except the crew of one ship; and thus they the Irish took the island afterwards. Or, according to others, it was the descendants of Nemed, with Fergus Leith-dearg the red sided, son of Nemed, that destroyed the tower, &c.